Mallet was effectively expelled from Hong Kong last week when the government did not renew his work visa, apparently in retaliation for inviting the leader of the banned Hong Kong National Party to an FCC meeting.

According to the Hong Kong Free Press, a number of pro-democracy lawmakers greeted Lam with the “protect press freedom” chant when she entered the chamber and then walked out.

UK Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt supported the complaints made by pro-democracy Hong Kong lawmakers and said the British government is “very concerned” by Mallet’s expulsion.

This undermines Hong Kong’s freedom of speech and freedom of the press, both guaranteed by the Joint Declaration, and the Basic Law, and increases the pressure on the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ framework,” Hunt said, referring to the legal code that guarantees Hong Kong certain freedoms denied to mainland Chinese and makes the island semi-autonomous.

Hong Kong officials refuse to state exactly why Mallet’s visa renewal was denied, even after the Hong Kong Journalists Association submitted a petition with 15,000 signatures demanding a full explanation.